We all know about straight, wavy, and curly hair types; however, did you know that hair typing can be much more specific? In fact, there are 12 types of hair, and you can identify yours based on the curl pattern, hair texture, and thickness of your strands.

Recommended Video This comprehensible guide with a curl type chart will help you understand what type of hair you have. More than that, it will explain why your hair behaves this or that way and what you can do to bring out its natural beauty and strengths.

Hair Type Chart with Different Types of Waves and Curls

The universal hair typing system was developed by Andre Walker. It distinguishes between 12 hair types subdivided into 4 larger categories:

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• Type 1: Straight hair.Straight hair types tend to be shiny, oily and almost unresponsive to common curling techniques. While there are subcategories: 1A, 1B, and 1C, the differences between them does not call for different hair care routines, so these are often described together in the hair typing system.
• Type 2: Wavy hair. Type 2 hair is the happy medium between straight and curly hair; not too oily and not too dry. There are three specific type 2 wavy hair types: 2A, 2B, and 2C, all with soft S-like curl shapes.
• Type 3: Curly hair. Type 3 curly hair is in the middle of the curly hair scale. It has naturally defined curls in the form of ringlets and is quite dry because the natural oils found in the scalp do not reach the entire hair strand. The curly hair type also has three subtypes: 3A, 3B, and 3C.
• Type 4: Kinky Hair.Type 4 coily hair texture is characterized by tightly coiled locks that are common for African American women. Unlike in type 3 hair, the curls are not defined and tend to be very fragile, even though several strands packed together make it look very thick and strong. Like all other hair types from the typing system, it has three different subcategories: 4A, 4B, and 4C.

Understanding your hair texture will help you pick the right hair care routines, styling products, and even hairstyles! Here is how to use the system to decipher the true nature of your strands.